SUNDAY DINNER

When I was little Sunday dinner (or lunch) was a thing in our house. Mom would cook a big fancy meal and we'd all sit down at the dining room table set with the good china, cloth napkins and fancy tablecloth. The fancy tablecloths and fine china didn't really stick, but the idea of cooking a nice meal kind of did. I think it's because Sundays have become my nothing day. Chores are complete except for the laundry hanging on the line. I even sleep in on Sundays to almost eight o'clock (yes... I know). Sundays are the days where I let myself be. So, every Sunday, I fix a nice meal. I usually use this time to try out something new, a recipe that may seem too labor intensive for a weekday. I have made this recipe from Bon Appetempt for sweet corn polenta before, but I cheated. A lot. I used a frozen bag of fire-roasted corn from Trader Joe's and topped it with a bag of frozen eggplant/tomato mix (also from TJ's). It was delicious and I didn't feel bad for taking the easy route. But fresh corn is in season right now and I can get six ears of it for $2.50 from the farmer's market. No excuse for cheating and really the fresh corn wasn't that much more work.

I roasted okra and baby eggplants with onions (from my own garden), garlic and tomatoes and served it on top of my polenta with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. This is the most delicious meal. Ever. I thought my cheating frozen bag version was really good, but the fresh? The fresh is so much better. I think this has become my new favorite Sunday meal.

Try it. I bet you'll like it.